Neepawa’s Salvation Army thriving at new location

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Published on Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Photos by Eoin Devereux. Pictured is Neepawa’s Salvation Army Thift Store, as it appears at its current location in the old Co-op building.

By Eoin Devereux

Neepawa Banner & Press

It’s almost been a full year since Neepawa’s Salvation Army moved into its new location within the former Co-op building on Mountain Avenue. And while the transition into the larger space hasn’t come without a few hiccups, Neepawa and Area Salvation Army manager Amanda Naughton-Gale said that overall experience has been extremely positive.

“We are so impressed with the year so far. It’s really exceeded our expectations. We’ve been busy since day one and we continue to be busy. Lots of stuff going in and lots of stuff going out. It’s been such a great transition for us,” stated Naughton-Gale. “The amount of clothing and winter items and even summer items have really allowed us to, obviously meet the needs of the community, but also meet the needs of some of our clients. We’ve got so much more variety and we can put out so much more then people are able to get the things they need, almost immediately.”

More space

The new space that the organization moved into late in 2017 is 6,000 square feet (sq. ft.), with 3,000 sq. ft. specifically for retail. That was 1,300 sq. ft. more than their previous location at 309 Davidson Street. Naughton-Gale noted that it took them a little bit of time to figure out the flow of the building. She acknowledged their processing room has been altered about five times over the course of the last 12 months, but now it’s set up in a way that works for everyone.

For employees, the move has been positive, as it has required the hiring of additional staff. In total, there are five employees working either on a full-time, part-time or on a casual basis. That’s nearly double what was required at the previous location. Naughton-Gale added that they’ve also had a great response to their volunteer list, as anywhere from 16 to 20 regular volunteers come in and help them out.

Other benefits

As for the other aspects of the Salvation Army’s campaign aside from the thrift store, Naughton-Gale said the additional space has allowed for the exploration and expansion of those other important services.

“Already, the business of the store has allowed us to provide different services. So  my focus now is more on the family services side, as opposed to the thrift store side. I’m now more able to focus on the needs of our clients and really see how we can help people. So, one of those things that we did this year was gather community partners together to see what they saw as our role in the community. And from that, we’ve been able to pick up a couple of things that should be priorities,” said Naughton-Gale. “Another thing we’re moving ahead on is the food explorers program. That sees kids from the ages of 9 to 11 to participate in a seven-week course that teaches them how to cook. How to easily do things at home. That’s an example of other programs we’ve been able to move on because of the new location.”

Currently, a customer appreciation day has been scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 1. Naughton-Gale hopes everyone will come down and help them celebrate the successful conclusion of their first year in the new location.

The interior of the Salvation Army at its current location on Mountain Avenue is much larger than at the old location.